Girl from Inkopolis

Summer Break

C'mon... just a little longer... why wasn't the bell ringing? Caramel drummed her fingers against the desk impatiently, her legs tense.

Brrring!

Summer break, finally!

The girl leapt from her seat, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and sprinting for the door.

"Hey, I didn't-" She paid no heed to the teacher's words, flinging open the last barrier between school and her freedom. No more homework, no more annoying teachers, and most importantly, all the free time she could possibly have wished for! With school out of the way, she and her friends could get back to Turf Wars, and her dream of being the freshest squid in Inkopolis would be within reach. All she had to do was get home and change. She passed the school's front gates, grinning like mad as the summer sun kissed her skin.

— — —

"I'm hooome!" She chirped as she threw the door open, kicking her shoes off to one side and tossing her backpack onto the couch. She began to undo her uniform as she climbed the stairs, shrugging off her blazer and rolling it up. Her bedroom door was already open, so she just flung the uniform top onto her bed and made a beeline for the closet.

"Cute? Badass? Sporty? Eh... a bit of everything, why not! It's break, might as well!" As she rifled through for an appropriate top, she heard her phone buzz. She reached for her pockets, swiftly bringing her palm to her forehead upon realizing her mistake. Pulling out the device, she checked the caller tag.

"Hello?"

"Minty!" Her friend chuckled.

"Everybody saw you take off like a shot back there, Mel. You need to use the ladie's room or something?"

"First day of summer break, who wouldn't be excited?" The two shared a little laugh.

"Fair, fair. I got a question for you, though. Some newbies are askin' me if we can run through the initiation together, you wanna come show 'em the ropes?"

"Sure, sure! Just lemme get something cuter on and I'll be right there!"

"I think everybody thinks you're cute enough already, Mel. See you there!"

"Alright, Minty!" The line hung up, and Caramel returned to digging through her clothing. "Ah, here we a-" The shirt slid off the clothes hanger it had been sitting on, landing on top of a box with a flump. She picked the box up, bringing it over to her nightstand, where her Dualies sat. Setting it down, she began undoing her school shirt, casting the cloth onto the bed.

What was in the box? She hadn't checked in forever, given how embarrassingly cluttered her room was. Pulling on the new shirt, she pulled the flaps of the box up, peering inside at its contents.

Inside sat a small journal and a small bundle of papers, a small plastic baggie tucked into a corner. She pulled out the journal and immediately cringed at the bright, flowery design. Her old diary. "Nope, not looking at that. Not today." Hastily closing up the box, she tossed it back into the closet, watching it thunk against the wall and settle into a new precarious position.

Alright, that was done, time to go. Snatching up her Dualies, she turned for the door- "Carp, nearly forgot my ink tank! Can't be doing that with newbies!"

— — —

Caramel turned into the abandoned street, walking up to a small group she assumed were awaiting initiation. She scanned the kids' faces one by one. They were all chatting amongst themselves, their weapons held loosely or slung across their backs. She heard quiet footsteps behind her, turning to see her friend walking up to her. "They're all set up. Leave some for the newbies this time, alright?" Caramel laughed.

"No promises." The two turned back to the others.

Putting on her meanest grin, she struck a pose with her weapons, aiming them at the younger squids. Several of them yelped in surprise, backing away. One girl even tucked herself behind another, quaking slightly. "You squids think you're fresh enough for X Rank?" Silence. "Well, everybody's got to start somewhere! Get those legs working, you'll need 'em! See if you guys can keep up with me! Back me up, Minty!" Caramel took off, slamming her weapons' triggers. They kicked in her hands, painting the ground ahead with yellow.

"Come on, everybody, let's move!" Her friend called. Hearing feet shuffling behind her, Caramel forged on ahead, leaving a path of ink for the others. Before long, she'd left everybody else in the dust, reaching the bottom of the slope. To her side were a cluster of boxes, which she turned her sights on. They crumpled under her fire with satisfying crunches.

"Keep the weapon steady when you shoot!" Her friend called. She heard a multitude of shots go off, but few responded with the sound of ink hitting cardboard. Well, that was to be expected. Caramel turned her sights to a cardboard target taped to a wall, covering it with ink before continuing down the alley. Reaching a turn, she kicked off to the side, dropping into a roll and coming up on a knee. She pivoted, tagging the target behind her with yellow. Her hearts began to pump as she took off, shooting at the targets and dodging around imaginary shots. Mint's voice could vaguely be heard in the background, but she paid no attention to it.

She changed forms to slide through a grate, falling to the ground below. She landed gracefully, ready to splat whatever target presented itself... or rather, she would have. Instead, she sank ankle deep into enemy ink, crying out in surprise as it splashed all over her. The feeling was still massively unpleasant, stinging her legs so badly they felt as though they'd turned to jelly.

"Shit!" The girl fired at her own feet, creating a patch of her own ink to stop the burning.

"And that's why you watch your step, squids!" Mint landed beside her, smirking. "Seriously, Mel. I thought you were better than that." A bright blush crept across her face. She gently pushed her friend, who yelped and windmilled her arms before falling backward into ink with a magnificent splash. Caramel immediately doused her with ink, taking care to aim an extra shot at her friend's face.

"Well, you gotta be careful too. Can't be losing your balance." The two glared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter. Extending an arm, she helped her friend to her feet,

"Did you have to go for the head?"

"Of course, how else would I clean the stupid smirk off your face?"

"Fair enough. Let's keep moving, we're almost there! The rest is yours, Mel." The girl started off, but had only gone a few steps before realizing that nobody behind her was moving.

"What're you waiting for, people? Let's go! We're almost there! Blot out the enemy ink and follow me!" Almost immediately after, splashes could be heard behind her as her classmates dove into the ink. Caramel dashed ahead, carving up swathes of enemy ink with her Dualies. Turning the final corner, the Inkling the walls leading up to the Jump Pad blocked by used crates, their surfaces weathered by the elements. They shattered under the hail of ink, allowing them to swim up the walls and reach the roof.

Mint turned to the others, spreading her arms and smiling. "And that's it, newbies! Your training's complete! All we have to do now is to go get you guys registered, and Inkopolis will have its newest batch of Turf War fighters!" The group cheered and switched forms, launching themselves in the direction of the Plaza. 

— — — — —

Guess who it is! That's right, a whole new story for you lot to enjoy. I would really have liked to release this after the completion of Agent Three's story and some intensive editing, but it was really not moving fast enough for poor little Four to get her first taste of the limelight anywhere before 2025, which would not have been fun for anybody, myself included. 

That being said, this is a new day, I really hope I can get my brain moving fast enough to actually pick up momentum with this stuff. I like (and hate writing), and you guys out there on the internet are basically half the reason I can continue this. Hearing from you guys is fun, and I really hope to see some of y'all returning for the Splatoon 2 story mode. Stay safe and I hope you all enjoy.

-Nemesis